Doll with personalized features

ABSTRACT

A doll capable of personalization to the likeness of an individual. The doll&#39;s appearance may be made so as to appear to be like a particular individual. Accessories for the doll may be further be personalized. The doll&#39;s voice and audio content may further be personalized.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a doll. In particular, the presentinvention may be directed to a doll having personalized features.

2. Description of the Related Technology

Dolls are used by children for play and emotional security. Typically,dolls are static in appearance and with the sounds that they make.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,841 to Becker et al., a doll is described thatenables a person to customize a doll's features by placing a picture onthe face of the doll using hook and loop tape, magnetic material oradhesive strips. The usage of a voice recording mechanism iscontemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,841, however the reference providesno detail as to the particulars of the recording device.

There is a need in the field to enable further personalization of a dollvia the usage of more customizable recording features and accessoriesfor the doll in order to enhance the experience of the child who usesthe doll.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is a doll having the likeness of anindividual.

Another object of the present invention is a doll storing audio files ofthe individual whose likeness the doll has.

Still yet another object of the present invention is a method ofrecording audio files and storing them on the doll.

An aspect of the present invention may be a personalized dollcomprising: a body, a head connected to the body, wherein the headcomprises a likeness of an individual; a wig removably connected to thehead via attachment means; a recording unit located within the body,wherein the recording unit is operably connected to a microphone and aspeaker; wherein the recording unit stores audio files of the voice ofthe individual.

Another aspect of the present invention may be a method for playing anaudio file on a personalized doll comprising: recording an audio file ata computer; storing the audio file on a recording unit; wherein therecording unit is located in a body of a doll, wherein the doll furthercomprises; a head connected the body, wherein the head comprises alikeness of an individual; wherein the audio file is the voice of theindividual; and playing the audio file.

These and various other advantages and features of novelty thatcharacterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in theclaims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a betterunderstanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtainedby its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form afurther part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, inwhich there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an exemplary doll made in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the doll shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the system employed in thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 shows the graphical user interface employed in the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the method employed in the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designatecorresponding structure throughout the views, and referring now to FIGS.1 and 2, FIG. 1 shows a front view of an exemplary doll 10 made inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows arear view of the doll 10 shown in FIG. 1.

The doll 10 is intended to be personalized to the likeness of a certainindividual. By “likeness” it is meant that the overall appearance,features and characteristics of an individual are intended to becaptured in the appearance of the doll 10. The doll 10 is primarilyintended for a child who is separated from a loved one. However, itshould be understood that the doll 10 may be employed by any individualor individuals to represent a loved one. The doll 10 is good forchildren or individuals who suffer from separation anxiety in school ora day care environment, as well as for those whose parent is away forextended periods of time because of work, military service, etc. Thedoll 10 may further be employed by close relatives or friends who cannotbe with a child or individual as often as he or she would like.

The doll 10 may either be male or female. The doll 10 comprises head 12,body 14, arms 6, legs 7, feet 8 and hands 9. The doll 10 is designed tobe fully customizable and has the capability to appear to be any age.The face of the doll 10 may be a molded representation, or the bestcomputer likeness of various ethnicities such as caucasians, blacks,Indian, Native American/Eskimo, East Asian Pacific Islander, etc. Othergroups may be added based on the demographics of a particular area.

In the preferred embodiment of the doll 10, when the doll 10 comes outof the packaging the head 12 of the doll 10 will be bald. The body 14 ofthe doll 10 is intended to be soft and capable of being dressed. Itshould be understood that although the doll 10 is described herein asbeing soft or bald, this is merely a preferred embodiment and it ispossible to fabricate the doll 10 with a predetermined head of hair or ahard plastic body 14.

Wigs 16 may be provided in order to customize the doll 10. There will bevarious wigs 16 that may be affixed to the head 12 of the doll 10. Thewigs 16 may be available in various colors, for example blonde, brown,red, gray, white. The wigs 16 may also come in various textures such askinky, curly, and straight. Furthermore, the wigs 16 may come in variousdifferent styles and lengths. The wigs 16 are designed to be removable.Wigs 16 may be exchanged for different wigs 16 as the need arrives. Thewigs 16 may be attached and removed using an attachment means such ashook and loop tape, an adhesive, a snap, etc. The removability of thewig 16 allows for alterations of the hair of the person for which thedoll 10 is a representation. The removability of the wig 16 alsoprovides a means for aging the doll 10.

Facial accessories 18 may also be applied to the doll 10. Such facialaccessories may be, beards, mustaches, sideburns, moles, etc. The facialaccessories 18 are also designed to be removable. The facial accessories18 may be removable in the same fashion as the wigs 16 or use analternative attachment means.

The doll 10 may have a large assortment of uniforms and outfitsavailable. There may be military garb for those children whose parentsare away from home, serving in the armed forces. There may also beuniforms for doctors, nurses, construction workers, ministers, policeofficers, etc. Clothing may also be varied and include work clothing,dress up clothing and sleepwear. Sports clothing depicting various teamsmay also be available. The clothing is designed to added and removedeasily.

Additionally, there may be personal accessories 22. The personalaccessories 22 available for the doll 10 may include eyeglasses,watches, purses, hats, necklaces, wheelchairs, etc. Other items such asearrings and makeup may be available. Furthermore, there should be anarray of items to go with various occupations. Some examples arestethoscopes, tools, lunchboxes, badges, and computers. There may besports items such as bats, balls, hockey sticks, tennis rackets and golfbags. Periodically, additional items may be added, based on the seasonor a particular occasion. These may include Halloween costumes, Santaoutfits, wedding outfits, birthday cakes, balloons, party hats, andgrocery carts with various food items.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the sound system 20 employedin the present invention. Components of the sound system 20 are locatedin the doll 10. The sound system 20 may speak to the child in the voiceand language of the loved one. The sound system 20 may have the capacityto record and play daily, short-term messages for the child, as well asthe capacity to record, store, organize and play longer audio files 41in the voice and language of the adult.

The doll 10 has the recording unit 21, in the preferred embodiment,located in and accessible from the rear body portion 27 of the doll 10.The control functions of the sound unit 20 may be accessible from thefront body portion 24. The recording unit 21 stores the audio files andprovides the ability to reproduce the audio files. Operably connected tothe recording unit 21 is a speaker 25 located proximate to the mouth 13on the head 12 of the doll 10 so as to provide the impression that thedoll 10 is speaking.

A microphone 17 may be located near the head 12 of the doll 10 in orderto record audio directly to the doll 10. It should be understood thatthe microphone 17 may be located elsewhere on the doll 10.

The doll 10 may also have a play/off button 26 located on the front bodyportion 24 or hand 11 of the doll 10. Preferably the play/off button 26may be easily operated by a child.

The rear body portion 27 houses the recording unit 21, such as an MP3player, or similar device, which can be easily removed and reinserted bythe adult via access door 29, but not by a child. The control buttonsshould also be easily accessible by an adult. The recording unit 21 willhave the capacity to download audio files from a home computer orwirelessly via a wi/fi component 23. The recording unit 21 may be bluetooth-enabled. The recording unit 21 also has space for numerousrecordings. The microphone 17, speaker 25, and the play/off button 26should all be operably interconnected to the recording unit 21.

Sound files may be added to a sound unit 20 in two ways. The parent canrecord directly into the microphone 17. This is ideal for recordingreassuring messages such as “Mommy loves you, Honey,” or “I'll bepicking you up soon.” The child can play these messages over and over bysimply pressing the hand 9 of the doll 10, or wherever the location ofthe play/off button 26 is located. The playing of the message will behelpful in alleviating the separation anxiety that the child may beexperiencing. The messages may be changed periodically.

The person recording the message can also record directly onto acomputer 40 via a microphone on the computer 40. If the person whoselikeness the doll 10 is located away from where the doll 10 is, thatperson may make recordings and transmit them to the home computer 40.The audio file 41 may then be transferred to the recording unit 21either wirelessly or via a cable.

FIG. 4 shows the graphical user interface (GUI) 45 located on thecomputer 40 that displays the audio files 41. The audio files 41 may bearranged in a playlist 42, such as “bedtime.” The recorded audio files41 may be organized and arranged by type 44 and according to the agelevel 43 of the child who owns the doll 10. Some examples of type 44 arestory and song. Some examples of age level 43 are child, child-youngadult, infant-child and young adult-teen. The organization is necessarysince some audio files 41 may not be appropriate for younger children.Also, as the child grows, the audio files 41 may become more complex.For example, if the adult uses the doll 10 to read storybooks to achild, the stories will advance in length and depth. Eventually, therecordings may be chapters of a longer book. These sound files can thenbe added to the recording unit 21.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the method employed in the present inventionfor playing an audio file 41 on the doll 10. In step 102, an audio file41 is recorded. The audio file 41 may be recorded via a microphone 17directly at the doll 10 or the audio file 41 may be recorded externallyand stored on a computer 40. In step 104 the audio file 41 may bearranged in a playlist 42. In step 106 the audio file 41 may be loadedon the recording unit 21 located in the doll 10. In the event that theaudio file 41 was recorded directly on the recording unit 21 this stepneed not be taken. In step 108 the play/off button 26 is pressed inorder to start and stop reproduction of the audio file 41. In step 110,the audio file 41 replayed.

In use, the doll 10 may be taken by the child when he or she is going tobe away from a parent. The parent may create a playlist 42 for thebabysitter or day care provider who will be able to select an audio file41 for use in different activities. When the child is going to bed, forexample, the audio file 41 selected may be one of the child's mothersinging a lullaby or the child's father reading a bedtime story orsaying a prayer.

Audio files 41 may also be selected when the child cannot be tended todirectly by an adult. The doll 10 can read a story to the child in hisor her mother's voice. The doll 10 may sing a lullaby at naptime.

If the doll 10 is the likeness of someone other than a parent, theparent can cuddle with the child and the doll 10 as “grandma” reads abook or “Daddy” describes what he is doing at work. This is especiallyuseful if the adult is away in the military, on a trip, or liveselsewhere and cannot see the child often.

The things that the parent or relative can choose to record as audiofiles 41 may be: lullabies, books being read, songs, nursery rhymes,prayers, words of wisdom, words of assurance, stories created by theteller. If the relative is away in the military, on a trip or livingelsewhere, they may create audio files 41 describing what is going on intheir life or what their location is like. The content of the audiofiles 41 may describe life in another state or country, they maydescribe its geography, places of interest, unusual customs, etc. Theparent or relative might also send photos of souvenirs, shells, rockcollections etc., along with audio files 41 describing the photos. Insome instances physical items may be sent in other ways.

Another usage of the doll 10 is to record the family's history andheritage. As such, the doll 10 may be used as an audio family album toldin the voice and having the visual image of the parent, grandparent orother relative sharing their memories. The audio files 41 may haverecorded thereon family stories that have been passed down through theages. Audio files 41 may also describe family events that are occurring,such as weddings, births, parties, etc. If used in this manner, the doll10 may itself become a family heirloom.

Whenever possible, the doll 10 may be used as a teaching device. If therecorder is bilingual, then the doll 10 may be also. The doll 10 may beused to teach the child short phrases, singing or reading in the nativetongue. Additionally, if the recorder is a bird watcher he or she maysend pictures with descriptions or even record the sounds of the birds.

The doll 10 as described above is a generic doll in that the face is thebest molded representation of a particular ethnic group and the childuses his imagination to “see” the relative in the doll. However, thedoll 10 may be a made-to-order doll that is created from pictures of theindividual, should they be available.

In addition, all stores may not be able to carry all dolls and all wigs,clothes and other paraphernalia. All items should be able to be orderedonline or via mail.

While doll 10 may be given to a child, it should be noted that the childmay give a doll 10 to a parent, relative or friend who cannot visit thatoften. Grandparents may be in another state. Parents may get divorced orhave to take long business trips. In this case, the doll 10 mayrepresent the child. New hair and outfits could be sent. Recordings ofthe child's voice could be e-mailed or left as a telephone message andrecorded onto the doll. Thus the adult could “see” and “hear” the childgrow from infancy into adulthood. Additionally, a parent may also liketo have a doll 10 made of his or her own child. Both parent and childwould be delighted to hear messages recorded when the child was younger.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerouscharacteristics and advantages of the present invention have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of thestructure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrativeonly, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape,size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention tothe full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms inwhich the appended claims are expressed.

1. A personalized doll comprising: a body, a head connected to the body,wherein the head comprises a likeness of an individual; a wig removablyconnected to the head via attachment means; a recording unit locatedwithin the body, wherein the recording unit is operably connected to amicrophone and a speaker; wherein the recording unit stores audio filesof the voice of the individual.
 2. The doll of claim 1, furthercomprising a wifi component located within the body.
 3. The doll ofclaim 2, further comprising a playlist of audio files stored on therecording unit.
 4. The doll of claim 3, wherein the audio file isselected from a group consisting of a story book, a lullaby and apersonal family story.
 5. The doll of claim 1, where each audio file isclassified with age appropriateness.
 6. The doll of claim 1, furthercomprising removable facial features attached via attachment means. 7.The doll of claim 1, wherein the recording unit is adapted to interfacewith a computer.
 8. The doll of claim 1, further comprising a hand,wherein a play/stop button is located in the hand.
 9. The doll of claim1, wherein the microphone is located on the body and the speaker islocated on the head.
 10. The doll of claim 1, wherein the attachmentmeans are selected from the group consisting of hook and loop tape, anadhesive and a snap.
 11. A method for playing an audio file on apersonalized doll comprising: recording an audio file at a computer;storing the audio file on a recording unit; wherein the recording unitis located in a body of a doll, wherein the doll further comprises; ahead connected the body, wherein the head comprises a likeness of anindividual; wherein the audio file is the voice of the individual; andplaying the audio file.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising awifi component located within the body.
 13. The method of claim 12,further comprising a playlist of audio files stored on the recordingunit.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the audio file comprises arecording selected from a group consisting of a story book, a lullabyand a personal family story.
 15. The method of claim 11, where the audiofile is classified according to age appropriateness.
 16. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the head comprises removable facial features attachedvia attachment means to the head.
 17. The method of claim 11, whereinthe head comprises a wig removably connected to the head via attachmentmeans.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the attachment means areselected from the group consisting of hook and loop tape, an adhesiveand a snap.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the doll furthercomprises a hand, wherein a play/stop button is located in the hand. 20.The method of claim 11, wherein a microphone is located on the body anda speaker is located on the head.